Monthly Archives: April 2013

When you head to an oyster fest, you go in expecting a high-level of awesomeness, and it only gets better when you also meet a fantastic beard. The ladies of Beards of Denver were lucky enough to encounter Dan while in line for said oysters at the High West Oyster Fest in Boulder a few weeks ago. From rural Kenosha, Wisconsin, Dan said his beard is stellar for many reasons, most importantly that it acts as a natural sunscreen when he snowboards. He’s been growing his beard since January, and he thinks he’s going to keep it around since it’s took a lot of work to get it to this stage. Dan and his lovely girlfriend Kat live in Boulder, and were Oyster-Fest VIPs; no messing around with good beards OR good oysters! They even shuck their own oysters at home. What we loved most about Dan (besides the oyster stain on his shirt) was the confidence he had about his beard and himself. In his words: “I’m handsome no matter what!” We think, even more so with that bountiful beard.

This may come as a shock (or perhaps, not a shock at all) but distilling and great beards tend to go hand-in-hand. So when the ladies of Beards of Denver volunteered at the American Distilling Institute conference in Denver recently, we were pleased to meet Brandon, who works at Copper Run Distillery in Branson, Missouri. Whoever thinks Branson just has cheeky stage shows and buses of retirees frequenting it is wrong; it also has its share of men with impressive beards and great distilleries! Going back about five years, Brandon has been growing out his beard at least every winter, with his current beard at a year. When he distills, he often braids his beard and tucks it back, which we were happy to hear; we don’t want to know of any beard accidents in the workplace! When he’s not making moonshine, Brandon’s playing bluegrass music in the Ozarks with his band the Shotgun Brothers (which, not surprisingly, originates form shot-gunning some brews). Brandon has an 8-year old daughter who LOVES his beard and encourages him to enter regional beard competitions; smart little lady, even at age 8! Brandon admitted he does the competitions to make her happy and to get together and have some libations and raise money for charity; we love that honesty in a fantastic beard! Thanks Brandon, and keep that whiskey flowing for us!

When one thinks indie rock and beards in the same vein, a hipster-esque beard may first come to mind, but at the recent Phosphorescent show at the Hi-Dive in Denver, we met Sean and he proved that men with incredibly burly beards also love the alt-rock. Sean’s a recent transplant to the Denver area from Reno, arriving just over a year ago. When he got out of the Marines he decided to go three months without shaving—and his current beard has surpassed the seven month mark—and we certainly hope his beard makes it a full year! When asked what his family thinks of his beard, he says his dad (who is also a former Marine) is somewhat skeptical; obviously we need to send him this amazing photo to prove to him how fantastic Sean’s beard really is! Sean—who’s currently single, ladies—said his ex wasn’t a huge fan of his beard, which we can’t fully comprehend; we will happily admire such beard genius! Obviously, his beard is the bomb; Prince even approves!

When you combine a great long beard, a love of craft beers, and a resemblance to Santa Claus, who do you get? Rick, who was born, raised, and has lived in south Denver most of his life, that’s who! We were tipped off about Rick (who’s had some sort of facial hair since high school, when he got in trouble for having a mustache), and his amazing beard by his fantastic wife, Terri. We love the stellar shape of Rick’s beard, but not as much as Terri, who claims it makes a great “handle” to pull him in close for a kiss! Terri told us that young kids are always staring at Rick and his beard; her theory is that they may think he’s Santa, and he humors them by giving his beard a quick flip to make them smile—of course he’s a people pleaser; with that great beard, how could he not be? Rick’s dedicated to the beard cause; Terri said it’s easily been 12 years since she’s seen him clean shaven. Like many other amazing Beards of Denver, both Rick and Terri love visiting breweries—they’ve been to 149—yes, 149!—thus far, with Copper Kettle Brewing Company being their favorite (and also one of our favorites). Keep up that great beard growth, and beer sampling, Rick!

Blonde beards unite! Meet Tanner! One of our fabulous beard hunting supporters (the lovely Carrie) met Tanner while out doing some Denver bar reviews. Tanner is a Denver transplant and is a big fan of all that Denver has to offer—especially the local beers and beautiful women (good plug, Tan man). He’s even snatched up a woman that clearly has good taste; she’s the one that encourages his facial hair-capades. Tanner and his sweetheart, Molly, will temporarily be leaving Denver to travel in India where they’ll be doing art therapy in orphanages. So much bearded goodness! Safe travels, Tanner and Molly!

Harry Larry has arrived! We saved this burly beard to remind us all to really appreciate the beautiful spring that Denver provides. Larry is a true mountain man and loves his beard first for it’s functional ability of keeping him warm, and second that it helps maintain perfect circumference with his 10 inch Afro. True story. His current beard has been in the works since the last time he shaved for a wedding, back in September. His product of choice is Wen Hair Care, which he credits for the softness of the curls and it’s rapid growing ability. His mother admits that she is a fan of his beard but would love to see his face every now and then. Sans beard, he’s often mistaken for the ghost of Jesus, Bob Ross or Jerry Garcia. (It’s probably the most impressive Afro in all of Denver, and you know we wouldn’t lie). Larry keeps the bad ass in the beard by being able to a. move pianos b. build anything c. kick your a– on the hockey rink. Looking good, Lawrence of Bearded Batavia!

The ladies of Beards of Denver love frequenting the local haunts in their neighborhoods, and Park House at East Colfax and Madison has emerged as a favorite spot over the past few months. With frequent bluegrass shows, great drink specials, and a homey feel, there’s no shortage of bearded men milling about, which is an added bonus. But one beard stood out above the rest on a recent visit: Beards of Denver lovelies, meet Brian, the head chef at Park House. Originally from South Carolina, Brian first came to Denver in the early ‘90s to play baseball at CU Boulder. Though that never materialized, he did earn a degree in sociology, but discovered culinary school was his true calling, which he went on to complete in New York. After a stint in St. Petersburg, Florida, Brian made it to Denver nearly two years ago. Back in St. Pete’s, Brian entered many a beard contest, and we can certainly see why based on his beard-prowess. When asked if the beard is a staple for him, Brian’s response was, “I always say, if your daddy don’t got a beard, you got two mammas” (we take that as his beard is a mainstay for him). Brian’s fiancé, Kat, is a huge fan of his beard, and even asked him out first while he was still building up his courage to ask her out (a woman after our own hearts!) You may also notice Brian sporting a Reba McIntyre t-shirt; which, he assured us, isn’t ironic—he went to the concert when he was 13. He likes Reba, has a southern accent, AND sports a bad-ass beard? Color us smitten.

It’s not everyday that a girl walks into a Chicken Wings joint and encounters one of the most impressive beards she’s ever seen; but when you’re a lady of Beards of Denver, sometimes that hankering for wings combined with an affinity for discovering great beards collides, and magic happens. Beards of Denver fans, meet Sam. Originally from Saginaw, Michigan, he’s lived in Denver for 14 years, and his amazing beard is a testament to his scholarship; he’s been growing his beard for three and a half years, the length of his stint as a doctoral student in the creative writing program at University of Denver. Sam loves having his beard, and stated it’s his “friend maker;” it helps him get his message across to people by presenting a certain constitution, one of patience and that he works for things, and he prizes the “subliminals that come from the nonverbals of the beard” (we couldn’t have stated it any better than that). Sam’s wonderful wife Pari is the number one fan of his beard, and has actually only seen him once without it (impressive because they’ve been together for something like 19 years!) Pari says Sam’s long beard is also softer than day-old scruff and encouraged him to use morrocan oil in it for better care. Sam is a huge fan of Al at Al’s Barber Shop downtown on Larimer; Al makes sure Sam’s beard is all trimmed up, particularly around his mouth, which we’ve learned is essential. Both Sam and Pari stated that Sam’s beard changes interactions with people because he gets approached far more often the longer it gets. You think that people build bridges? Well, we have the proof here that beards do.—-Photo Credit by Dave Getzschman.

When the ladies of Beards of Denver headed down to Scottsdale, Arizona to catch some of the Colorado Rockies spring training games, we were pleasantly surprised to also snag a great beard from (where else?) Denver! Meet Jeff, who we encountered at a Rockies vs. Brewers game on a sunny Sunday in Phoenix. Jeff’s lovely wife Erica is a big fan of his beard; he usually shaves during baseball season, but with her encouraging he’s likely to keep his beard all season long (it’s sure to be the Rockies good luck charm, we’re certain). Jeff and Erica live in HIghlands and will definitely be attending Opening Day this coming Friday. Jeff’s favorite part of his beard is the beautiful girl it got him, and Erica says all her girlfriends admire Jeff’s beard, too. Obviously, we appreciate that those ladies all share such good taste! Play ball, go beards!